Sustainability Teaching Resources
Make teaching sustainability easy this school year with printable worksheets, activities for kids, lesson plans and more — all created by teachers for your primary classroom.
This teaching resource collection is aligned with the Australian Curriculum cross-curriculum priority to help your students build a more sustainable future!
Each resource was designed to help your students understand how they can implement sustainable practices in the classroom and at home.
Our teacher team has carefully reviewed and curated each resource to ensure your students will be armed with information on everything from composting to conservation, as well as how to reduce, reuse, recycle, rethink, and repair.
Tackling this topic for the first time in your classroom? Read on for a primer from our teacher team!
What Is Sustainability? A Kid-Friendly Definition
Sustainability is a cross-curriculum priority in the Australian Curriculum and for a good reason. Primary school is an important time to begin talking to students about sustainability as we can instill these practices early and make them into lifelong habits. But explaining this concept to kids can be tricky.
Here's a kid-friendly sustainability definition we like to use to explain its meaning to our students:
Sustainability is the ability to meet someone's current needs without hurting the ability of people in the future to meet their own needs.
On a more technical level, sustainability represents a holistic approach to addressing environmental, social and economic challenges in a way that supports long-term well-being and resilience.
This often includes practices such as reducing carbon emissions, conserving natural resources, and promoting social equity.
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How to Build a Worm Farm - Poster Pack
Learn to build your own worm farm and learn about vermicomposting with a handy project guide.
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Recycling Word Search
Build your students’ vocabulary around the topic of recycling with this recycling-themed word search.
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Recycling Soft Plastics Made Simple Poster
A poster that shows an effective way to identify soft plastics when recycling waste.
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What Can Be Recycled? Poster
A poster showing the products that can be recycled.
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Helping the Earth Flipbook
Use this printable recycling flipbook with your students to teach them about ways to help Earth.
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Save Planet Earth - Science Word Wall Vocabulary
Print and display Earth Day-related terms in your classroom to improve vocabulary and discussion about Earth Day.
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How Do We Use Natural Resources? Concept Map Worksheet
Help your students uncover the ways that humans use natural resources with a concept map.
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Renewable and Nonrenewable Resources – Crossword Puzzle
Reinforce science vocabulary with a renewable and nonrenewable resources crossword puzzle.
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Renewable Energy Word Search
Review science vocabulary terms with an engaging renewable energy word search.
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Natural Resources Task Cards - Journal Writing Prompts
Integrate science and writing while responding to specific scenarios regarding natural resources with this set of 24 journal task cards.
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How We Use Natural Resources Worksheet
Explore the characteristics of natural resources and what makes them useful in products and materials with this worksheet.
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Earth Day Writing Craftivity
Create a fabulous Earth Day display with a printable Earth Day craft activity.
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Energy Saving Tips for the Classroom – Poster
A poster displaying some helpful tips for saving energy in the classroom.
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Classroom Energy Audit Worksheet
An investigation that will have students observing the energy usage in their classroom and proposing action to reduce energy waste.
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Develop a Habitat - Garden Project
A project-based assessment task for students to demonstrate their understanding of how habitats can be preserved and protected in and around where people live.
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Water Wastage Investigation - How Much Water is Lost to Leaks?
A practical investigation related to sustainable resource use.
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Earth Day Mini Book
Help your young students learn and write about Earth Day with a printable Earth Day book for kids.
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What Can We Recycle? Cut and Paste Worksheet
Remember what to recycle with a cut-and-paste worksheet.
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I Promise To... Earth Day Flip Book Craft
Make a promise to protect the planet with a printable Earth Day flip book.
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Energy Saving Reminders
Inspire your students to conserve electricity with these energy-saving reminders that can be placed around the classroom.
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Natural Resources Mini Book
Learn about natural resources with this printable mini-book.
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Natural Resources Task Cards
Answer questions about natural resources and their uses with this set of 16 task cards.
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Renewable and Nonrenewable Resources Flipbook
Use this printable science flipbook with your students to research and write about a chosen natural resource.
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How We Use Natural Resources Printable Book
Read and learn about how we use natural resources with a printable mini-book.
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Match It Up! Natural Resources – Worksheet
Match natural resources with how they are used with the help of this worksheet.
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Earth Day Mobile - Craft Template
Inspire your students to reduce, reuse, and recycle with a fun Earth Day craft project.
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Natural Resources Vocabulary Worksheets
Practise and review vocabulary terms associated with natural resources with this worksheet pack.
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Renewable and Nonrenewable Resources – Board Game
Answer questions related to renewable and nonrenewable resources with this printable board game.
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Environmental Awareness Flip Book - Earth Day Activity
Use this flip book to build awareness of actions that are good and bad for the environment.
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Classroom Practices to Promote A Green Future - A Teacher's Guide
An 18 page teacher's guide on how to drive a sustainably friendly classroom!
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Earth Day Activity Wheel
Encourage students to get involved in environmental responsibility with this collection of 8 Earth Day activities that focus on Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences.
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National Tree Day – The Green Bridge – A Science Investigation
A science investigation embedded in a real-world context, where students design a habitat to meet the needs of specific animals.